The Enchanted Tree

The Ginormous Egg.

2012-05-31T08:07:00.004-04:00

It's not that unusual to occasionally get a bigger than normal egg. They almost always turn out to be double yolkers. However, our latest 'big' egg is definitely a record for us. This is the biggest 'big' egg i've ever seen!!

It measure 6 1/4" inches around.

It is just a hair over 3" long and weighs 3 3/4 oz. i did a quick online just to see what an average egg weighs and found this chart. The jumbo sized eggs you'd get from the store are 2 1/2 oz on average. My eggs are about 2 oz on average. This egg is almost twice the size of my normal eggs. It's ginormous!!

Here you can see it in a egg carton with some of my average sized 'large' eggs. :)
That poor hen!! This crazy big egg was laid by a White Leghorn. She's actually a pretty small bird compared to the other production layers. The hen is fine too, by the way. She wasn't even walking funny. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Morning Harvest

2012-05-30T10:50:00.008-04:00

It rained all night, and i woke to broccoli that was ready to pick.

This morning's harvest consisted of almost a dozen eggs, the two largest heads of broccoli, a head of Buttercrunch lettuce, a bunch of majesty lettuce , garlic scapes, and asparagus. Yum!

Progress around our homestead

2012-05-29T08:51:00.006-04:00

We've made a lot of progress around the homestead this year. Earlier in the spring we finished the fencing in new goat yard. We fenced off part of the old goat yard, and planted clover and grass. We also fenced in three of our vegetable gardens, and really switch up our original garden plans. We added a second chicken coop, and 7 new laying hens.

Although we got the coop in February, it took almost a week before we got it off the back of the truck. There is sat for at least a month, before it was finally moved down to the area where i wanted it. One of the neighbors came over and helped move it with a couple of metal poles and a tractor. Once it had been moved i went out to look at it, and was some what annoyed to see that the coop was facing the woods. At this point, i should really know better than to assume the husband and i are on the same track... but really? It made absolutely no sense the way it was set up. The chickens run would be facing the woods, in order to clean out the coop i would have to take the wheel barrel into the run just to access the door. When i asked about turning it, i was told there is no way, it's too heavy. Hrrmmpphhh. So i rigged up a temporary fence, so the birds were contained and then i let them out into the yard in the afternoons while i waited for the husband to put up permanent fencing.

i don't want to sound impatient, but two months after getting the new coop it still was not fenced in, the chickens were constantly escaping my temporary rigged fence and i was extremely frustrated.

Then to my surprise, about two weeks ago my husband brought over his shop mate and they turned the coop. :) That weekend he put in the permanent fencing too. The coop now sits so that we have access to the door without having to go into the fencing. i can pull the wheel barrel right up next to it, to clean it out. Their is a small door for the chickens to enter the run, and the eggs can be collected without ever having to go inside the fencing. After a lot of grumbling, and complaining my husband did eventually admit that i was right. lol. This set up made the most sense.

Once it was completely set up, i added a few personal touches. :) i'm going to add a water barrel on the backside to collect the rainwater, and then use that to water the birds. i still hope to eventually get it stained to match our house.

we added a door to connect the chicken run to the old goat yard. That way the goats didn't have access to the chicken feed, but i could open the door and the birds free range in this space during the day. They are much more protected within the fences than they were just in the yard.

They LOVE coming out each day and nibbling the tasty greens.

The goats are also loving their new space. They have a nice area to browse. We planted clover and alfalfa, but the area is also full of small tree shoots and weeds like poison ivy, and blackberries. They seem to love the variety. i still need to have some kind of lean-to put in the area so they have shelter, but i now feel like we have enough space to finally breed Delilah and add a few more goats to the herd.

It is so nice to not be dependent on just the dry hay. The goats seem so much happier, and content now that they are out foraging. It is so nice to see things finally come together and feel like we are making progress.

The next big things for us is to finally finish up the house construction that was started several years ago. The entire project was put on hold, and it will be so nice to finally start moving forward again.

Teacher's Gifts

2012-05-27T12:01:00.010-04:00

We really loved the kid's teachers this year and wanted to do something special for them. During teacher's appreciation week, students are asked to bring in certain items for the teacher each day. Like on Monday each child brings in a piece of fruit, so at the end of the day the teacher has a beautiful fruit basket. On Tue. each child brings in a flower, so at the end of the day the teacher has a lovely bouquet...etc. It's really a nice idea, i think.

The day before we were supposed to bring flowers we had crazy rain. All of my irises, ended up soaked and lying in the mud. So i had to think of an alternative in case the flowers had not recovered by the morning. i found this super cute idea for tissue paper flowers on the Family fun website. we didn't have the bamboo garden stacks, and instead fastened the flower onto a new unsharped pencil that was rolled in green construction paper. They turned out really cute, and the kids were so excited to give them to their teachers.

One one of the days we were asked to bring in a sweet treat for the teachers. This could be store bought or homemade, so we made up a batch of cookies. Then we made these adorable owl bags to put them in. These are so cute and easy.!! We found the idea for the owls here.
The tutorial suggests that you fold the top forward. Instead we folded one side forward, and one side backwards to get ears or tufts! You can put a staple in the top to keep it closed or seal it with a glue stick.

We always make a gift for the teachers last day of school as well. i always have a million different ideas of what we'll do, and then end up having the kids paint flower pots. :) They enjoy it though.
i had the kids paint garden scenes in the pots, and then we sealed it up with Modpodge and embellished them with super cute stickers we'd picked up at Micheal's. Then we sealed them again with the modpodge.

They turned out great!! Since my daughter's name is Sage i thought it would be most appropriate to give her teachers a sage plant. :) We ended up planting a variety of different herbs and making a mini-herb garden in a pot.

Just for fun i added my kids' faces to this garden gnome and printed them out. Then glued them to popsicle sticks and stuck them in the pots with a message on the back to the teachers. :) Ideally we would have laminated these, but didn't have access to a laminator.

We had a lot of fun with these and the kids were so excited and filled with pride to hand them to their teachers the last day of school.

Farm Rich Product Review and Giveaway!

2012-05-23T08:10:00.010-04:00

We were recently asked to review and host a giveaway for Farm Rich Frozen Snacks – Seriously, how could we say no?? :) We tried the mozzarella cheese sticks and the breaded mushrooms.

As a kid, we did not go out to eat very often. However, one of my favorite memories of eating out was when my dad ordered a big basket of steamy hot cheese stick appetizers. It always came with a marinara sauce to dip them in. i don't even remember the restaurant where we ordered them, i just remember how good they were. It definitely brings back warm nostalgic childhood memories for me.

Now that i have my own family, we also rarely ever eat out. My kids have only experienced real restaurant cheese sticks once. So when i pulled out the Farm Rich cheese sticks it was a real treat for everyone!! Although deep frying them tastes sooo good, baking them is a healthier option so we decided to baked them. :) They were delicious!! They are are made with 100% real mozzarella cheese, and cooked up quickly in the oven. They kept their shape perfectly and didn't ooze out everywhere.

They made a nice addition to our meal, and the leftovers made a great snack for the kids the next day. My kids totally devoured them! The husband and i devoured the breaded mushrooms....yum!!

Farm Rich offers a tasty variety of other frozen treats like breaded mushrooms, stuffed pretzel bites, jalapeno poppers and more. They are all tasty and easy-to-prepare snacks and appetizers sure to please the whole family!!

How would you like the chance to try out two bags of Farm Rich snacks?

Farm Rich has offered one of my lucky reader the chance to win
2 FREE Farm Rich Product Coupons for any product of your choice.

To enter let me know which two products you would choose if you win!

Leave a comment letting me know you completed a mandatory entry with your email!
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Spring Harvests and Eggs for Sale.

2012-05-21T09:37:00.000-04:00

Gardening season is in full swing here. i'm still a bit behind in planting my main garden, but the other beds are about 95% planted and doing pretty well. My main garden is a summer garden, so the plants do not have to be in as early as the spring crops.

My front garden, which is the 'purple garden' and salad bed combined, is the farthest along. It was planted the earliest with cold crops and a couple rows of purple beans. My biggest issue with this garden has been flea beetles, which pretty much destroyed the Redbor kale i planted. i have a couple plants still hanging in there, but the majority of the kale in this bed really didn't do well at all. i just recently pulled out the Diatomaceous Earth, so i'm hoping that will help. i have more kale in a different garden that is doing fantastic...so i'm not that worried about it.

My buttercrunch is doing great. i haven't had any pest problems with any of my lettuces so far.

My spinach, despite the warmer temps, is still doing fantastic. It hasn't started to bolt at all, and i have a ton of new seeding coming up in a shaded bed that are thriving. We've been enjoying it in salads, and hoping to freeze quite a bit of it for later use.

Lots of baby greens coming up. These spring mix salads are always my favorites. i love the tender leaves and the subtle flavors of the different greens.

We are eating lots of salads!! This was our first salad of the year! It is a combination of buttercrunch, spinach, baby greens and red Majesty lettuce.

We are also harvesting Egyptian onions, pea shoots, garlic scapes and asparagus. The asparagus has been so good this year. We are harvesting 4-5 shoots per day, so we are getting enough for a meal about twice a week. Each spring we plant a few new crowns, hoping to eventually increase our yield, but it never seems like enough.

We are just starting to get a few strawberries. Our strawberries have never done very well, the chickens have always torn them up...and the wild birds would eat the few berries we would get. i planted several new plants earlier this spring, and moved the beds into an area that is now completely fenced. i'm really hoping that this will help, as strawberries are one of my favorites.

Our hens have been busy laying this spring! We are getting over a dozen a day, way more than we can possibly eat. We have been sharing them with our neighbors, but are still finding ourselves with lots of excess. So we decided to put some for sale for local folks passing by. Our road gets no traffic at all, but Kenan's shop is on 221, a main road.

Kenan has a fridge at his shop in Willis and will be keeping a few dozen for sale there for local folks who are interested. He doesn't have a sign up yet, but will eventually. They are $2 per dozen. They are not certified organic, but they are farm fresh and free range. Our yard and gardens are organic (completely chemical free). They get corn scratch which is milled at Vaughn's Mill, a local mill right down the road from us. i can even give you the names of the chicken that laid each egg. :) His workshop is located almost across the street from the Willis Village mart. If you are interest in eggs, just let me know how many you need and i can make sure and send some along with him.
Later this summer, i'm hoping to set up a little plant stand in front of his shop and offer a few perennials for sale. Eventually, we'll be opening a retail shop in the space as well.

Free for Kindle Today!! Foraging: A No-Fluff Guide to Finding Edible Plants and Wild Mushrooms

2012-05-20T11:05:00.011-04:00

Free TODAY ONLY for kindle!!! Prices can change at anytime, so pay attention before you purchase!

Foraging: A No-Fluff Guide to Finding Edible Plants and Wild Mushrooms

Description

Foraging is what people do when they choose to go looking for their own food in nature rather than buying it in a supermarket.

For those looking for the greenest way to feed themselves, foraging is definitely the answer. When you forage for food there are no factories involved in the production of the food you eat. In many cases the food needn’t even be cooked, which means that you will be saving on energy in that way too. Foraging is for conscientious people who want to make a difference in any way they can, while saving money and having fun at the same time. This book will teach you what you need to know to get out there and start foraging right away.

As with all Simple Self-Sufficiency titles, this book is written in an interesting and readable manner, without all the "fluff". We aim to publish books in a way that will deliver to you all of the necessary information without going into an extreme amount of detail. We guarantee you will come out with an expanded knowledge of the topic, from a source you can trust, without having to take days to read about it.

If you you don't have a kindle, you can download the free Kindle reader for PC and download and read it right on your computer!!

i come across a lot of great free books, and will be sharing them now and again!

Enjoy!!

Riverside Park and the Ararat River Greenway (NC)

2012-05-18T10:43:00.005-04:00

We are officially out of school for summer!
Thursday morning was kindergarten graduation and Achievement awards. After it was over, we decided to reward to the kids for their good grades and hard work by taking them out to dinner and to the park to play.

We headed to Mount Airy, North Carolina which is just over the mountain from us. We always enjoy the drive over the mountain, and route 52 is lined with fresh produce stands, flower nurserys and flea markets. We stopped at my favorite nursery along the ay so i could pick out a few perennials. You can get a perennial 2 packs, for $.89. Great deal! i came home with Jacob's Ladder, Cupid's Dart, Foxglove and Delphinium. :)

When we first decided we'd be coming to Mount Airy for the day, i decided to look around for a park or place to hike. i came across info for Riverside park which is also the starting point for the Ararat River Greenway trail.

Riverside Park is really neat! The kids really had a fun time here.

They had a music wall, that both kids enjoyed. Lots of slides, swings, climbing wall, monkey bars everything you'd expect at a playground. It was all fenced in, and they had a smaller attached section for little kids (under 5). It's really a nice playground!

We've been to several other wooden castle parks, and one thing i liked about this park was that a lot of the wood had been replaced with wood-plastic composite. We had just learned how this was made at our field trip to the recycle center last week. Not only is is made with recycled plastics, it doesn't splinter like the wood does. It was also painted in bright fun colors and themes and really made the play structure different from others we have played at.

The boys had lots of fun too!

Before leaving the playground we spotted a robin's nest. Mother bird was sitting on the eggs, but flew away the minute i got out my camera. :)

Right across the parking lot is the beginning of the Ararat River greenway trail.

We really were not sure what to expect. The trail follows the Greenway, and runs about 2.2 miles. There are various picnic shelters and places to rest along the way. The trail is wide and established, and we saw many bicycles, strollers and joggers along the trail.

Although the trail kind of runs through the city, we still saw plenty of nature and wildlife. This baby praying mantis was spotted darting across the path. It's only about 1" long.

We also saw many wildflowers and native plants. There was lots of honeysuckle, oxeye daisy, gaillardia, Coreopsis, and even a few bachelor buttons.

We nearly stepped on this guy who was making it's way across the path. We had never seen this type of snake before, although i guess it's quite common in many places. It's a Rough Green Snake.

About 10 minutes after spotting the first one, we spotted a second. This one was a bit larger, and was laid out across the trail sunbathing. It didn't seem to be bothered by us at all.

Although the path is more of a city nature trail than an actual 'hike through the woods' trail we still spotted plenty of wild food to forage. There were several Mulberry trees along the path, and blackberry and raspberry canes were in full bloom.

We passed a couple of kayak launch areas, and a place where folks were swimming in the river. It seemed to be a pretty popular trail. Both the park and trail were kind of a nice find, especially since we come to Mount Airy now and again. It is always fun to explore new places, and identify new plants or critters. It was definitely a nice way to begin our summer vacation.

Raising Tadpoles.

2012-05-15T08:19:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, we found a bunch of tadpoles in a puddle at Panther creek and brought home a few to raise.

Tadpoles are very easy to raise. We keep ours in the Insectlore Frog bog habitat we got a few years back. In the past, we have also them in a 10 gallon aquarium. i prefer the smaller frog bog though, it's easier to keep clean and unless you a have a ton of tadpoles it is plenty of room for them.

Make sure the container you use is very clean, and free from any soap residue.

In the wild, Tadpoles eat decomposing plant materials and insect larva found in the water. Some websites recommend feeding them fish flakes. However, we've had good luck feeding ours spinach leaves. We use fresh organic spinach from the garden. Wash it well, and place the leaves in a bit of boiling water to soften them up. Then rinse, cool and add them to your aquarium/habitat. The tadpoles will nibble away at these and produce a lot of poo that will need to be cleaned out every few days.

They grew really fast. The kids check them almost daily to report any changes. i usually get pictures of the whole process, but this time i totally missed getting of picture of the legs buds. When the kids checked on them one morning, we were surprised to see they had grown their legs!

By the next day, we had the feeling they were ready to be released.

So we took them behind our house to the creek, and let them go. They were so super tiny. i believe they may have been toads, rather than frogs because of the size. We released them in a wet/swampy area, where a spring was coming up from the ground. So there was a bit of water, but it wasn't fast moving like a stream or creek. We placed the little guys on some moss and dried leaves so they could decide where they wanted to go from there. It seemed like the perfect location for frogs or toads.

Just as we release the last one, and get the frog bog container cleaned out and put away, we came home with a new batch of tadpoles.

Just for fun, here is a really neat Tadpole Puppet printable you can print up from Scholastic to show how tadpoles transform into frogs through metamorphosis.

Here is another good printable coloring page that shows the life cycle of the frog. No matter how many times we experience watching the tadpoles transform, it just never gets old!

Weekend Nature Hike.

2012-05-13T08:48:00.000-04:00

Just about every weekend, weather providing, we go for a family hike. Yesterday we had a few things to do in town, and decided to just hike along Beaver Creek again. It's a short hike, less than a mile, but it's quite pretty and we wanted to check for tadpoles. Last week we released the last of our frogs and the kids wanted more tadpoles to raise.

The trail follows the creek and is lined with a variety of wildflowers. We saw lots of Dame's rocket, fleabane, buttercups, wild azaleas and forget-me-nots. We also spotted many different kinds of butterflies, dragonflies, spiders, two snakes and a frog.

This lovely Dame's Rocket was everywhere.

We spotted yellow and black swallowtails, common buckeyes, commas and this Fiery Skipper.

This Common Buckeye Butterfly also posed for a picture, but the other butterflies just flitted by.

There were tons of these dragonflies everywhere.

We also came across this pretty cool mass of baby spiders. They are super tiny!! The whole mass was a little over an inch long. We gently blew on it, and the babies scattered everywhere! It was very neat to observe. i think these are probably the black and yellow garden spiders, but i'm not positive.

We also found what we had come looking for...tadpoles!!

We came prepared and had brought along a small jar and a bucket, and the kids had a great time catching a few. We brought home 15, and are excited to watch them transform!

Growing Heirloom Tomatoes

2012-05-08T16:22:00.009-04:00

Most of my garden is sown directly into the soil. i've never had a good place to start seeds inside, my cats always manage to knock them over or eat the seedlings. The only plants i don't directly sow are tomaotes and peppers. i usually purchase 4 packs from our local garden center, they do a really good job of having a large selection of heirloom plants.

However, a few months ago, my folks gifted me with a small inside greenhouse, so i was really excited to get to try growing my own tomato and pepper plants this year. i may have gone a little overboard purchasing seeds. :)

Last year was my first attempt at growing tomatoes from seed, and it was a complete failure. i didn't have the green house, and i put the seedlings outside so the cats wouldn't get them..and accidentally froze them all.
This year, i decided to try again and my tomato starts are doing really well! To start the seeds i just used recycled containers and our own homemade compost. You could also use potting soil and seed trays. This is what they look like when they are first start coming up.

Once they start leafing out and are about 3" tall i transfer them into individual larger containers.

Once they around this size, i start bringing them outside for a few hours each day to help them harden off.

Eventually i transfer them into larger pots, and am able to leave them outside. They can remain out all the time, i only bring them in if there is a threat of frost.

Starting tomato seeds inside this year has really allowed me to get an earlier start. My last frost date is this week, so i can actually start planting them into the ground now. i already have several blooming!

This years Heirloom tomato variety includes Cherokee Purple, Purple Calabash, Black Krim, Black Brandywine, Yellow Brandywine, Mr. Stripy, Big Rainbow, Hillbilly, Amish Paste, Black Cherry and Silvery Fir Tree. i'm sure i'll be adding a few more varieties, as i can not resist purchasing a few heirloom 4 packs from the local greenhouse. i tend to come home with new plants each time i pass by it. :)

What kind of tomatoes are you doing this year? What varieties are your favorites?

Morel, Asparagus, Spinach Frittata with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Chevre.

2012-05-07T08:04:00.002-04:00

We are beginning to harvest a few things from the garden. The asparagus is doing great this year, and we've already enjoyed it with a few meals. It grows so fast that sometimes i can check it in the morning, and the shoots are only 2-3" tall and when i check again in the evening they are ready to be picked!!
We have an abundance of Egyptian 'walking' onions. They spread each year and can be harvested at anytime. They don't get a huge bulb on the end like traditional onions, but they are more like a leek or giant green onion. We have an abundance of eggs, as we finally have some pretty reliable laying hens.
We're also beginning to harvest leafy greens. For this recipe i picked a couple handfuls of spinach leaves. i also used a few of the morels we collected on Sat. some sun-dried tomatoes i dried last year and a bit of goat cheese i had made.
So this meal was completely homegrown/foraged. Except for a bit of oil i added to the pan and the salt and pepper.
All ingredients in this recipe are approx. i don't really measure the veggies, i just add a handful until it looks good. Add more if needed. So you don't have to use 1/2 cup exactly...add however much or little you want.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes re-hydrated and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced
1 cup morel mushrooms cut into thin slices
handful or two of fresh spinach shredded
small bunch (4-6 stalks) of asparagus, broke into 3"-4" pieces
a few TBSP of crumbled goat cheese (chevre)
6-8 eggs (my eggs were on the small side, so i used 8)
minced garlic, fresh basil, rosemary (optional).
Sea salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven broiler.
Heat oil in large, oven-proof skillet. (cast iron works well) Add onion and mushrooms and sauté until onions are translucent. Add spinach, asparagus and garlic and sauté for another 3 minutes. Transfer vegetables into a bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Heat a bit more oil in the skillet over medium heat, move it around the pan so it coats the bottom and walls. Then add the eggs. Add the vegetable mixture, spreading it evenly through the eggs. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and add those to the egg mixture. Sprinkle herbs/salt/pepper over the top as desired.
Turn heat to low and allow the egg mixture to cook until the bottom is set (15-18 minutes). Sprinkle goat cheese on top. Transfer the skillet into the preheated oven (broil) and allow the top to finish cooking (2-3 minutes).

Take it out when the egg has finished cooking, and has started to brown just a bit.

Frittatas are super easy and delicious. They are a great way to use up lots of eggs if you have an abundance and can be served for any meal. You can really use any veggies that are in season or that you have on hand.

If feels good to start getting out of our winter eating rut, and back into eating fresh from the garden foods.

The things we find when we are lost...

2012-05-06T08:04:00.012-04:00

This weekend we decided to explore the Crooked Creek, and Stewart's Creek area of the Blue Ridge Highlands Loop of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trails. The directions online showed how to get from Major General J.E.B. Stuart's birthplace (MBR05) to Stewart's creek, and then from Stewart's creek onto Crooked Creek. However, after looking through the directions we realized that Crooked Creek was less than 3 miles from 221/58. So it made more sense for us to go to Crooked Creek, and then onto Stewart's Creek.

i attempted to print up the directions, but my printer was being temperamental and refused to print. So hubby hand wrote the directions on a paper. All of the directions were backwards, being that they were originating from Stuart's birthplace. So we had to try and follow them from 221, backwards. It turned out to be a bit more difficult than we'd expected. :)

We ended up going down a very narrow mountain road. Not only were we having to watch out for deer and wild turkeys, we came across a corner and found a cow that had gotten out of it's fence.

It was just a little guy who was convinced the grass was greener on this side of the road. :)
So it seemed that the directions were pretty straightforward, but we never really found what we thought we were looking for. We saw several signs along the road that said it was part of the Crooked Creek Management area or signs that pointed towards an Equine recreational trail, but we never actually found any trails.

There were several places to pull over along the creek. So we stopped and decided to walk a bit and see if we could find a trail head. We followed the creek a bit, and saw lots of fisherman and a truly unbelievable amount of tiger swallowtails.

i'm guessing it was a breeding ground for them. i was unable to get a picture, but there was literally 20-30 butterfly swirling all around the creek. Some were on the banks sipping the minerals from the wet soil. Some were sunning themselves in the trees, and most of the were just soaring and gliding in circles over the creek. It was an extremely magical moment. we stood for quit a while just watching them. i took a ton of pictures, but all look like this with a just a couple blurry butterflies showing. They were moving so fast.

After wandering around by the creek for a while, we decided to walk up to the road, explore a bit and look for some signs of a trail. i grabbed my trusty tote bag...because you never know what kinds of fabulous treasures one might find while hiking...acorn caps, pine cones, pretty rocks etc...

After walking quite a ways without finding any signs of a trail, i say ' i really wish we'd find a giant patch of morels to make bringing my tote bag along worthwhile.' :) Then not even a minute later, i look across the road and exclaim 'HOLY HELL!!!"

There, sticking out of the side of the hill was the BIGGEST Morel mushroom i have ever seen!!

The funny thing, is that i never even noticed that it was in a patch of Dwarf Crested Iris. i didn't even see them...i just saw that beautiful morel mushroom. My husband had to point out the flowers, and as soon as he did i realized that the entire hill was covered in them. It again felt very magical... :)
We were all extremely excited by the first morel and immediately started scouting the area.

My boy was the next to find one, and then my girl found this one.

This was the mother of all Morels, it is 10' tall!!! i've never seen one anywhere near this size. On average we usually find morels that are 2.5-4" tall. We had all found several each before my husband had spotted even one. He was getting a little annoyed, and finally spotted one that was at the very top of the bank. He climbed up to get it and found a huge patch of them under a tree right there.

It was really neat to find such a large patch of them. Many were too old to collect, but it was still exciting to find. We now have a new morel spot, assuming we can find our way back here. :)

Here was our mushroom haul. Although we didn't bring home a ton, we were
delighted just to find any at all and were totally blown away by their size!

We had a great time mushroom hunting, and taking pictures of all the wildflowers..but decided to head over to Stewart's Creek since we couldn't find any trails where we were. On our attempt to back track, we got completely lost again. We drove in circle for a quiet a while, down a few scary mountain roads and amazingly came out on a road that had a sign for Stewart's creek! Once again, we found exactly what we were looking for. This was turning into quite an adventure!

Unfortunately we never made it to Stewart's creek. Without warning we came upon this road block and had to turn back. It was a little disappointing, but we were also eager to get our mushrooms home while they were still fresh. We'll have to save Stewart's Creek for a different weekend. We've now completed 5 of the 7 areas on the Blue Ridge Loop.

We returned home and decided to have a bonfire, one of our favorite summer activities. We roasted veggie dogs, and enjoyed the morels rolled in seasoned flour and fried in real butter...horribly unhealthy, but so good!!! We sat out by the fire, listening to the spring peepers and the Whip-poor-will's. We sat and enjoyed the beautiful evening while we waited for the moon to come out.

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life. ~John Burroughs

Spring hiking and wildflowers.

2012-05-03T07:52:00.000-04:00

Now that we are starting to really feel the spring weather, we have been going for walks almost every day. On the weekends we typically choose a local park or public trail to hike. During the week, when the kids get home from school, we hike down to the creek or to the top of the hill and explore the woods behind our house. Now that the kids are older, i can take them farther into the woods to explore new areas.

Down on the banks of the creek the Mayapples are popping up everywhere. i was on the lookout for dried milkweed pods and morel mushrooms, but didn't find any this time.

The flower of the mayapple is hidden under the umbrella shaped leaves. They don't all have flowers, and we have fun peeking under each one to see there is a flower.

On Monday we walked to the bottom of the hill, and followed the creek through the tree field. The creek winds around through the woods, and onto our property. i was super excited to come across a huge patch of huckleberries (wild blueberries). The bushes are small and scrubby looking, but loaded with blossoms. i can't wait to come back and check them again to see if they actually produce berries. i have a feeling i'll be competing with the local wildlife for them. :)

My girl was the first to spot these behind the house. i was extremely thrilled to see that the Showy orchids are coming up again. i transplanted one of these onto our property a few years ago, and not only has it returned they have started spreading. :)

They are very small and delicate, but quite lovely. The area behind our house and a natural spring that seeps up and creates a wet boggy area that is perfect for swampy woodland plants. i would really love to establish some lady slipper orchids here. i was told by a neighbor that they used to come up on our side of the creek, but i have yet to ever find them.

Along with the Mayapples and Showy Orchids, the Trillium are in full bloom. i have always loved these trillium and found it interesting that the local/common name for these is Stinking Benjamin. Seems funny that such a lovely flower would have such an awful name. :)

As always the kids have a fabulous time at the creek. While i'm running around snapping pictures of the wildflowers, they are climbing trees, wading in the water, feeding fish and catching salamanders and crawdads. They are also learning to identify many of the different plants and flowers in the area. My daughter is extremely inquisitive and wants to know the name of everything. My boy acts less interested, but is a total sponge with knowledge. i'm sometimes surprised by the amount of information he retains when i don' even realize he is listening. He can often tell me the name of wildflowers that i've forgotten. :)

i haven't been able to do a lot of hiking since having children. Having to carry them made hiking much more difficult, and then when they could finally walk their little legs would get tired quickly. So i'm really enjoying being able to really get back into the woods again and really explore some of the nature trails around us.

This summer we are planning the complete the Blue Ridge Highlands Loop, which is part of the Virginia birding and wildlife trails. we have already hiked the first 4, so we have 3 more trails to hike to complete the loop. We have several favorite places we love to hike, but always enjoy exploring new areas.

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~John Muir

Earth Day, Arbor Day, Wildlife Habitats and Edible landscaping.

2012-04-26T08:54:00.011-04:00

This post originally started out as an Earth day post, then turned into an Arbor day post...and finally ended up as a post on edible landscaping. :) It's been one of those weeks.

Earth Day was on April 22, and Arbor Day was April 27th. So often times we will spend the week focusing on trees and planting seeds/ flowers (okay we pretty much do this every week). Last year we planted several fruit trees for Earth day and went on a garbage/recycle walk up our road collecting all the trash and recyclables that people dump.
This year, the weather didn't cooperate with us, and Earth day was cold and rainy, so we spent the entire day inside. The kids started some seeds in pots, and we did some crafts using recyclables. Then with the kids in school all week, we decided to postpone our tree planting until the following weekend...which was Arbor Day weekend.

For those of you who don't already know, Arbor Day foundation is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. When you join Arbor day foundation for a $10 donation, you get 10 free trees or if you don't have a place to plant trees you can have 10 trees planted in a national forest in your honor. Kind of cool, eh?

This is the Keifer pear we planted last year. It was a pretty large tree (14 foot) when we put it in, and i was worried that it might not survive the transplant. All the new trees we planted have done really well and are leafing out nicely. We planted the Keifer pear, two black heart cherries and two plum trees. We won't get fruit from any of them this year, but it was nice to see that they survived the winter and have lots of new grown, green leaves and all look very healthy.

This year our plans were to plant several more new trees. We purchased 2 American filberts, 2 American Elderberry, 2 Allegheny service berry, 2 more blueberries and a Nanking cherry.

We chose the American filberts (hazel nuts) because they are a fast growing shrub 8-12' tall, they produce lots of edible nuts, and are also good for wildlife. They are native to the Eastern US, are drought tolerant, grow very fast and do well if planted along a woodland edge. With our limited space for big trees, i think hazelnuts are a good choice for edible landscaping and wildlife habitats.

i really wanted to grow Elderberry because it's one of those plants i have foraged for...but am not completely confident identifying. Elderberry is very high in vitamin C and has a lot of health/medicinal benefits. It can be made into elixir, syrup, jellies, jams and wine. Although Elderberries are native, and i'm quite certain i have them growing on my land i wanted to plant my own, so i could be absolutely positive i was picking elderberries. Rather than risking picking a potentially poisonous look alike. Elderberries are considered easy to grow, are only 6' to 12' feet high and are another great choice for wildlife.

i decided to get the Allegheny service berries kind of on a whim. i was already getting the other trees, and thought these looked interesting. When i was pregnant with my girl, i remember my doula taking about Service berries, and June berries. It was the first time i'd ever heard of them. Service berries are similar to blueberries, but do not require the acidic soil. We love blueberries, and have around 15 established bushes . Blueberries require acidic well draining soil though, and ours have never really done that well. Although they produce every year, they really haven't grown very much and several of them seem to be struggling. The Allegheny service berries are native, easy to grow and produce lots of edible berries. The fruits are sweet and juicy and rich in iron, copper and vitamin C. Native peoples dried the fruits like raisins and used them to prevent scurvy in the winter. This is another tree that will grow well along the edge of woods.

We already have one Nanking Cherry that i always thought was ornamental. The last couple years it started producing a few cherries. So after i looked it up and read a bit about it, i realized if it was better pollinated it could be producing a lot of cherries. Nankings are a great dwarf cherry 6'- 10' that produces tons of small tasty red cherries that are good raw or in pies. It is extremely hardy, has beautiful flowers and if you plant more than one can create a lovely hedge i've read conflicting info on whether it is self pollinating or not. Ours has just started producing cherries, so i thought it was a good idea to get a second one to make sure it's getting adequately pollinated...plus they are gorgeous in the spring when they are blooming.

Although it will be several years before we are able to harvest from the new trees, i feel like we have really been making a lot of progress the last couple of years. Even though we took down a few trees to make room for the goats, we have replanted many trees that will benefit both us and the local wildlife.

Monticello Field Trip

2012-04-26T08:35:00.000-04:00

My boy and husband recently visited Monticello with the 4th grade class field trip. It was a 3+ hour on the bus ride, for a 1 1/2- 2 hour tour in the rain. As much as i wanted to go, i was really glad that my husband volunteered. ;)

Monticello is a 5,000-acre plantation situated on a mountaintop outside Charlottesville, Virginia. It was the home of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, third president of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia.

It's really unfortunate that it rained the entire day, as the grounds of Monticello are absolutely beautiful. The actual tour of the inside of the house was only about 20-25 min. while the rest of the tour explored the grounds, basement, wine cellar, many exhibits and the gardens.

Photographs inside the main part of Monticello are not allowed, but they were able to take a few in the basement/cellar and service area of the house. My son was fasinated by the history of Monticello, and came home overflowing with information and details about the tour. They both very much enjoyed it.

The gardens were absolutely amazing. After seeing the pictures they took i kind of wished i had gone, although i really would have been miserable waking around and in the cold rain. The Monticello gardens grow many of the same heirloom varieties that were grown by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson grew 250 varieties of more than 70 different species of vegetables, precisely recording the details of their growth. You can even purchase the seeds harvested from the flowers and vegetables that are grown in the gardens. My husband brought home double columbine, 'Blue Prussian' peas and Purple Calabash Tomato seeds.

i'd really like to go back as a family, and visit during peak garden season. Although i do enjoy the History of the house, i'm most eager to wander around the vegetable and flower gardens :)

We've been working on making a list of our summer plans, which typically include a lot of day trips and weekend trips to explore local museums, zoos, national forests and Historical landmarks. Monticello is definitely on our list for this summer, it would make a great day trip and if we can find some other things to explore in the area we may turn it into an overnight.

"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden."-- Thomas Jefferson

Purple Garden Progress.

2012-04-21T08:41:00.007-04:00

Last month i posted about planning a purple garden this year. We rotated our gardens, so that the potatoes are planted in the new garden space. My cold crops have been moved to the old potato bed, so my front garden which has been primarily cold crops has now been turned into a 'Purple garden'.

Many of my purple vegetables haven't been planted yet, or haven't sprouted yet. It is still too early to plant the purple beans, tomatoes and other things.

Majesty lettuce is just beginning to come in. This is my first time growing it, and i'm really impressed with it's deep burgundy color. It is just gorgeous!!

Purple Asparagus. :) We already have an established asparagus bed, and have harvested enough for two meals already. We lost quite a few shoots with the last frost, but have tons of new shoots emerging, so i think we are going to have a pretty good harvest this year. i thought this purple shoot was pretty.

This is the Redbor kale starting to come in. If the weather stays cool it should turn a deep purple. We absolutely love kale.

Purple cabbage. My family isn't a big fan of cabbage, but i couldn't resist planting it because of the deep color, and even the foliage is tinted in purple. Even if i'm only one to eat it, i think it was worth planting for it's colors alone. :)

These are the Blue podded peas , which will produce lovely purple flowers, and blue/purple podded peas.

Also planted, but not pictured (or coming yet) is Cosmic purple carrots, Violet Sicilian cauliflower, and red velvet lettuce.
Once the danger of frost has passed, i'll be planting the purple bush beans, purple basil, Cherokee purple tomatoes, purple peppers and more!

My husband and son recently went on field trip to Monticello with the 4th grade class, and brought me back some heirloom Purple Calabash Tomato seeds that were actually harvested from the gardens of Monticello. Thomas Jefferson first documented planting these in his garden in 1809. i thought that was pretty neat. :) Although not technically, purple... i will have those in this garden as well. :)

Hiking at the Cascades

2012-04-15T09:06:00.013-04:00

The Cascades in Pembroke Virginia is one of our favorite places to hike in the spring. We have come almost every year since moving to Virginia. Although the hike itself is absolutely breathtaking no matter when you visit, i love to come in the early spring when the early wildflowers are blooming.
The Cascades are most known for the incredibly beautiful scenic hike and spectacular 70 foot water fall. We'd heard there were more fall farther up the trail, but have never hiked to them. So this time we decided to check them out.

The main trail to the falls splits into two separate trails. The lower trails, are what we usually take. They are the most scenic, but also a little more strenuous. The upper trails are an easier hike, but the view is not quite as nice. However, because we wanted to hike the extra to get to the upper falls, we decided to take the easier upper trail there, and the lower trail back if we felt up to it.

The upper trails are not really advertised. Infact, when we came to this fork in the trail, the sign only points toward the main falls or back to the parking lot. There was no mention of the upper falls. At this fork, we took the trail to the left that continued up. A little ways up this trail was a sign pointing us in the direction of the conservancy trail and Barney's wall. we continued along this trail, for about 1/2 mile.

The entire trail was extremely muddy. Something to keep in mind if you plan to hike here. About 1/2 mile up the trail we came to a another fork. The main trail went towards the left, and had another sign showing the distances to the conservancy trail and Barney's wall. To get to the upper falls, you need to take the trail the right. It is almost hidden among the Rhododendrons.

The sloping muddy trail spits you out right at the very top of the upper falls.

This doesn't look really capture how magnificent these falls are. We looked around for a way to get to the base of the falls, but there was no real obvious trail. We finally found what looked like little more than a deer trail, that brought us to a little ledge near the base of he falls.

Here i was finally able to get a picture of them. They are most definitely worth the extra 1/2 mile to get to them. It was a little dissapointing that they are so difficult to access, but then again the area was quite secluded and free of other people...which made it really nice. The lower falls are sometimes pretty packed with tourists. The creek before the upper falls, are quite calm and shallow, with rock pools to safely play in, so this may become a new favorite spot for us.

As always i was obsessed with taking picture of the native wildflowers. The Jack in the Pulpits were blooming and coming up everywhere.

The trilliums were also in full bloom. i saw both the Trillium grandiflorum in varieties of white, pale pink and darker pink and also the Trillium erectum, which has the dark maroon flowers. i also saw many different varieties of violets, from white to yellow to purples. Wild phlox, Solomon's Seal, Squawroot, wild geranium, and tons of star chickweed.

We also spotted 6 species of butterflies. Easter Tiger Swallowtails, pipevine swallowtail, cabbage white, red admiral, painted lady and Duskywings.

After leaving the upper falls, we went back and continued on to the lower fall. The entire hike (5 miles round trip) follows the river, and has amazing views like this.

The main falls were as beautiful as ever, however they were busier than i have ever seen them. You can't tell by the picture, but the rocks, benches, trail here were completely packed with people. We usually walk out onto the rocks, but passed it up this time. We hung out for a little while and watched several people slip on the rocks and wipe out while attempting to walk up to the base of the falls. It is always extremely slippery.

We had a fabulous time hiking. The power of the waterfalls always energizes us, and we decided to take the lower (harder) trail back. i thought for sure the kids would be tied and whining by that point...but they were literally running down the trail and we (kenan and i) were struggling to keep up with them. i am so looking forward to summer and these weekend family hikes. Although we have our favorites we love to visit, this year i really hope to explore some new ones too.

Wordless Wednesday -Dust Bath

2012-04-11T13:51:00.002-04:00

Spring Break!!

2012-04-06T10:30:00.003-04:00

We are officially on spring break!

We have been doing this....

and this....

and a LOT of this!!!

Yay!!!! Spring is here and we are spending as much time as possible playing outside! We have been exploring, pretending, collecting acorn caps, hiking in the woods, wading in the creeks, hunting for salamanders, chasing butterflies, blowing giant bubbles, and planting in the gardens!! This is by far my favorite time of year, so much fun to be had!!!

You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters. ~St. Bernard

Playing at Panther Creek

2012-04-04T10:47:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we spent most of our time outside playing in the garden, hiking in the woods and just enjoying the days,
Just down the road from us a bit, in Dugspur Virginia, is one of our favorite places to play in the spring. We follow Panther creek road along Big Reed Island creek, until we come to our favorite spot. There is a small area to pull over, a trail that leads to Big Reed Island creek, and a trail that follows a smaller creek back into the woods.

It is so hard to get a good pictures of the area, but their are huge rock wall and they are all covered in wild phlox, columbine and bleeding hearts.

i love the wild flowers i find here. These are the Wild Phlox.

The family loves sitting up on this huge rock that overlooks the creek. i admit it makes me a bit nervous, but it's actually not as scary once you are up there as it looks in the picture.

There is a small trail near the big rock that leads down to the water. The energy from the water rushing over the rocks here is just amazing. It truly leaves you feeling energized and alive.

My favorite part of coming here is wandering into the woods looking for wildflowers. i always find lots of common wildflowers, like the anemones, columbine and the wood violets. This time i found one i wasn't familiar with at all. It's a very interesting plant, with a spray of these tiny flowers. When we got home, i spent quite a bit of time online trying to figure out what it is. It isn't listed in my wildflower book.
The plant is called Yellowroot, and is named for it's yellow roots. The roots were used by Native Americans to produce a yellow dye.

This would have been an awesome picture if it was in better focus. All along the tops of these rocks were wild bleeding hearts. The rocks were over 6 feet tall, so it was hard to climb up to get the picture...but there is probably 6-8 feet of the bleeding hearts all in a row.

As we follow the little creek in the woods, there are a series of small pools and waterfalls that the kids love to play in. Sage loves to find salamanders and their are little fish and crawdads that dart about in the pools.

Although i have never seen a rattlesnake here, i have been told that they can often be seen sunning themselves on the big rocks in the summer.

The farther we walk up, the mountain the more water falls and pools. Each one just as fantastic as the last.

As we were leaving we passed a huge puddle at the entrance of a two track. i asked kenan yto pull over so i could check for tadpoles, and the puddle was full of them!! So i scooped up a few and brought them home. The last few years we've raised tadpoles, and this year will no different. :) It is always fun to watch them turn into frogs.

i love this time of year! We go hiking and exploring every chance that we can. i'd really like to find some new places to explore this year, although i'm also eager to visit some of our favorites like the Cascades, and the Grayson Highlands. The kids start spring break this week, so we are already making plans for a few places to hike. My boy wants to plan our hiking around local Bigfoot sightings, while my girl is determined to find Totoro.

My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing. ~Aldous Huxley

Spring in the Blue Ridge

2012-03-29T07:00:00.014-04:00

i absolutely love this time of year. Spring has definitely arrived in the Blue Ridge. A few weeks earlier than expected, but she is definitely here to stay.

i have a pair of bluebirds that appear to be house shopping. i have two empty bird houses. One is an actual bluebird house and the other a wren house. Last week we cleaned them out and removed a bunch of moss from the previous tenants. i've never actually seen bluebirds nest in the bluebird house, and i'm guessing the sparrows or chickadees usually claim it. Anyhow after getting the houses cleaned out, i began to notice the blue birds.
They have visited the last couple mornings. The male sticks his head inside the wren house, and calls for the female. She pokes her head inside and then begins to bicker with him. i can just her her telling him 'it's too small, the location isn't right...the door isn't facing the right direction'. He checks it out again, trying to convince her it's a great house. It is so fun to watch them, and listen to them bickering back and forth. They have come back daily, but have yet to begin building their nest, so i think they are still looking for the perfect house. :)

i've begun hiking again in the mornings. i like to go out each day and look for all the spring changes. There are so many amazing wildflowers that pop up overnight. i've also been on the look out for morel mushrooms. When the Mayapples and skunk cabbage appear the ground is warm enough for morels. This is a Rue Anemone. They appear all over the woods.

Coltsfoot is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring.

Deadnettle is another early spring plant. It is considered an invasive weed, and comes up everywhere this time of year. It has small delicate pink/purple flowers.

It is always wonderful to see the butterflies return. i have only seen a few so far, mainly cabbage whites hovering over my brassicas. i did happen to spot this lovely swallowtail sunning herself at the edge of the woods.

Bloodroot has started blooming in our native flower garden.

My daughter has already begun the hunt for critters of all kinds. She adores the salamanders, toads, crickets and earthworms. Every day the week she has found a few of these guys.

These are red backed salamanders she has been finding them all around the play area and yard, under every rock and log. Soon we'll be seeing the red spotted newts and giant toad that lives under our deck.

i always enjoy my morning hike, and love seeing the new wildflowers that pop up overnight. My husband teases me for taking pictures of the same flowers year after year, but i can't help myself. You will see more posted each week as the woods begin to explode in colors.

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. ~Henry David Thoreau

Sarah's Silks winner annouced!

2012-03-28T09:39:00.000-04:00

Linda Kwolek said... 134: Rose Fairy Pink; March 26, 2012 6:31 PM

Congratulations Linda!! ! i will send out an email later today. You will have 48 hours to respond to my email or a new winner will be chosen! Thank you all who entered!!

Sarah's Silks Pocket Silk Giveaway!

2012-03-20T07:54:00.005-04:00

At Sarah's Silks they believe in the magic of creative play! Their playsilks, dress-ups, canopies, and playthings are natural fiber toys that stimulate a child’s imagination, and capture the magical soul that lives in young children.

Children love to dress up with these beautifully dyed cloths! With an inspiring palette of playsilks, children will spend many hours exploring their limitless imaginations.

We have always encouraged imaginative play in our home. Play silks are a wonderful open-ended "toy", the uses are endless. My daughter is a big fan of Sarah's silks! Here's one of my favorite pictures of my girl chasing bubbles in her fairy tutu when she was 3, and all dressed up like a rainbow queen in her fairy dress last year. She has a quite a collection of dress up silks, and it's so fun to see her imagination at work as she creates different outfits and uses for the silks.

This spring, Sarah's silk introduced their new pocket silks. These silk pockets are secret hideaways for the most treasured toys. Perfect for wearing on hikes to collect acorn caps, stones and other nature treasures. Wear it as a apron, or a belt to accent a princess dress, or a sash for a pirate.

Pockets are magical and exciting. They can be used in so many ways. Here are some other ideas:

horsie reins
doll slings
doll dresses
sword holder
pirate head scarf
doll hammock
tooth fairy pocket
obi kimono sash
gather crystals

Sarah's Silks new pocket Playsilks are 54" long by 6" wide dyed and sewn in USA.
The beautiful illustrations were made by artist Caron Dunn.

Buy it!
Available in 5 styles. $19.95 each.
They make lovely spring basket gifts. And will be used year round for dress-up..

Win it!
Sarah has generously offered one reader their choice of Pocket playsilk!

Entry is easy!! 1. To enter, Visit Sarah's Silks then come back and leave me a comment letting me know which pocket playsilk you would choose if you win!
Leave a separate comment for each entry you complete and be sure and include your email so i can contact you if you win!!

Extra Entries!! (do mandatory first!)
2. "like" Sarah's Silks on facebook. Leave me a comment with your FB name!
3.Follow Sarah's Silks on twitter. Leave me a comment with your twitter name!
4. Sign up for the Sarah's Silks mailing list. (bottom right) Let me know you did!
5 follow Sarah's Silks on pinterest Leave me a comment with your Pinterest name!
6. follow my blog via GFC! Leave a comment letting me know you do!
7. be a fan of my page on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you are and your FB name!!
8. Share the giveaway post on FB and/or twitter. Leave a link in your comment! (can be done daily)

**Rules**

Giveaway ends March.27, 2012 at 11:59pm EST
Winner will be contact by email, and posted on the blog.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email or another winner will be chosen
This giveaway is open to everyone

i hope you enjoy these artist features! i plan to be featuring a new artist/crafter a few times a month. That's my hopes anyway, life often gets in the way of what i'm planning... but i would really like to spotlight a few folks who's work i really love.

First signs of Springs

2012-03-19T08:40:00.000-04:00

It seems that spring arrived this weekend, literally overnight. We had a some scattered showers, and temps in the 70's and many early spring flowers just exploded into full bloom.

It started with the daffodils. i have several variaties of daffodils, including the gorgeous King Alfred, Ducat (doubles), and miniature daffodils.

These are Holland Sensation.

These are called Ice Follies. They are my favorites.

i have just a few crocus coming up in random places. i one had these growing on my front hill, but many of the bulbs i had planted stopped coming up...and started appearing in random places around the yard. i think this is probably the work of a mole or vole or some other underground critter rearranging and maybe eating my flower bulbs.

My Nanking cherry just started to flower on Friday, and by Saturday the entire thing was in full bloom and alive with buzzing bees!!

My peach trees are just beginning to bud, however i found three peach trees coming up behind our house that are in full bloom. A little strange, because they are in the shade. We are transplanting the larger two, and have 5 small (12"-18") white trees in pots to give away or barter. Last year we traded peach trees for pear, plum and cherry trees. i'm still looking for a few apple and maybe a walnut tree.

Grape hyacinth are also coming up in random places. i have a few still coming up on the front hill, but i actually found this one underneath my lavender bush. :)

On Sunday, it was a bit dreary out so i took the kids to town for a bit. On the way through Hillsville, we saw Forsythia, Bradford Pear and Magnolias in full bloom. It all seemed to happen overnight. From past experience, i know that there is a good chance we'll still get another snow or two...but i'm definitely enjoying all the signs of spring popping up.

Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night. ~Rainer Maria Rilke